Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-20

II has an immense advantage over the
grave, in the superior quantity Of It's
representatives and in their numerous
qualifications for social honors, snch as
good dancing, unlimited slowing cl-
pacity for supper, and the general bouy-
ancy OF extreme youth. OF course there
are come disadvantagesin being enrolled
under the banner of the cradle. It's
representatives generally suffer pang5
from shyness. IN their own minds
they see themselves with their salient
points atnormally accumulated when
they donce they seem all legs, like the
insignia OF the Isle Of Man; when they
attempt TO pass cakes and ice-cream
they appear to have an embarrassingly
large number of hands; when they
speak their tongue is as manageable
as the extremities Of a puppet. The
male bud, or "kid," Us he is called,
spends his first season in learning how
to be at case. During the period
which precedes matriculation he suffers
greatly. He ia so swadile1 about
andenveloped in shyness Chat he isneyer
himself. lie tries generally to he some
body else. 1t used to be Pelham now
il is either Guerndalc, or a bold, bad
English Guardsman, or the Duke de
Mora. He generally confines himself
to two manners, both Of which are
equally badly assumed. The first,
adopted when in awful trepidation he
speaks to the older bellies or married
beauties, is one of slavish politcness, at
times abasement-" Sign0ritl, | kiss
your hands and feet, something in that
style. As the older beauties disdain
him this only irritates them the more.
Ihey glare coldly at him, AMI
with elevated chins continue the
conversation which he has gene
rally interrupted. He soon leaves
them, feeling bitter and sad, that he
is cipher, that his doll is full of saw
dust, bis cake is dough. He clinches
his fists in his new kid gloves, and feels
that he must go and be revenged on
some one else. His second manner, AS
suned when in sweet converse with the
most modest and retiring of the buds,
with whom he used to play when he was
not yet emancipatcd from the kits, and
she was flaxen-haired baby with a
leaning toward Alexandria bottles, is
entirely different. He is a bold, wicked
man. Where five minutes before he
was the meekest of lambs he is now the
most ferocious of lions. He is mag
niGcent, reckless villain, with the pity
ing cynicism of a Voltaire. He throws
out dark hints of darker deeds, chron-
ically leaves ellipses in his talk, and
looks on the floor, smiling wick
edly 10 himself. When she mentions
some girl friend he shoots an cnigmati-
cal glance at her out of the tail of his
eve and says with awful meaning,
"Ob, that girl y; then smokers to him
self, relapses into significant silence,
reflectively stroking his incipient NOUS
tachc, starts, and says suddenly, with
stimulated memory, eyes, that girl ;
/ know her, | know her -; throws back
his head and breaks into laugh of rich
enjoyment, and in answer to her puz-
lied query says, with ostentatious non
chalance "Ob, nothing | was merely
thinking-nothing of any importance. -
When the woman who has just
snubbod him sails past in a mist OF
tulle, he turns black lustre eye Oh
her and says patronizingly: "Ya-as-.
good looking woman, at least used to
be. Getting little scrawny, and du-
cidly stupid to talk to. Had to sit
half on hour with Eer at Mrs. Blunder-
buss Jones's-thought I'd have gone
mad before could get rid of her." AS
he sees the life and spirits being crushed
out of his gentle little partner
10y his glittering knowledge OF
the world and easy superiority
he becomes inflated and smiles
and smiles, and is villain still. He
gives a passing word of approval to
the novels of the hour. hints how he
made the new beauty, introduces a
glowing bit of local color in a careless
allusion to barry Wall and Me-"
touches ON the pretty chorus girls in a
new 6ou6c with the air of man, the de-
stroyer, dashes in with a few brief
touches the history of the popular
actor; and finally, suddenly rising,
mods and saunters to the door. He is
perfectly happy. He has left his COM
panion feeling small and insignificant
He feels that he has evened the score,
end he is at peace with all mankind.